Finding Plays
Searching for Plays in the UIC Library Catalog
Use the search bar on the UIC Library Home Page to look for plays in the library catalog. You can search by entering the title of the play or the playwright's name. You can also try searching by topic and including the term "playscripts" in your search to find some of the titles in our collection that are categorized as scripts and might be of interest.
When you search in the UIC Library Catalog, your results will include some physical texts that can be found in Daley Library as well as some digital resources available digitally through UIC's databases such as Drama Online. For digital plays, follow the instructions on the record page to access the text online.
If you need support searching for scripts in the library catalog, don't hesitate to reach out to a librarian!
Searching For Plays in Online Databases
UIC students, staff, and faculty have access to a number of online databases that provide full-text or excerpts of scripts. Bellow are three popular databases for searching for plays and scripts. As with searching in the UIC Library Catalog, you can search in these databases using a play title, playwright's name, or topic.
- Drama Online
Drama Online is an award-winning digital library of nearly 4,000 playtexts, over 700 hours of video, over 400 audio plays, and over 500 books of criticism and performance practice from leading theatre publishers and companies. UIC subscribes to the Core Collection and Critical Studies & Performance Practice.
- New Play ExchangeNew Play Exchange is the world's largest digital library of scripts by living writers.
- Twentieth Century North American DramaTwentieth Century North American Drama contains 2,059 plays by 434 playwrights, and more than 150 of the plays are published here for the first time, including a number by major authors.
Directing: Technique and Craft
Inside the Rehearsal Room: Process, Collaboration and Decision-Making by ISBN: 9781350103665Publication Date: 2022-01-27
Directing Professionally: A Practical Guide to Developing a Successful Career in Today's Theatre by ISBN: 9781474288767Publication Date: 2019-01-10
Collaborative Stage Directing: a guide to creating and managing a positive theatre environment by ISBN: 0429665423Publication Date: 2019-05-30
Changing Direction: a Practical Approach to Directing Actors in Film and Theatre by ISBN: 1351034464Publication Date: 2018-09-13
How to Direct a Play: A masterclass in comedy tragedy farce Shakespeare new play opera musicals by Call Number: PN2053 .M87 2011ISBN: 1849430411Publication Date: 2012-04-17
Professional Resources
- Directors Guild of America (DGA)The Directors Guild of America is a labor organization that represents the creative and economic rights of directors and members of the directorial team working in film, television, commercials, documentaries, news, sports and new media. (From the DGA website)
- Stage Directors and Choreographers Society (SDC)The theatrical union for directors and choreographers, SDC's mission is "to foster a national community of professional stage directors and choreographers by protecting the rights, health and livelihoods of all our Members; negotiating and enforcing employment agreements across a range of jurisdictions; facilitating the exchange of ideas, information and opportunities; and educating current and future generations about the critical role of directors and choreographers in leading the field."